Buckle.



J. MALTBY.

BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20.1911.

1,242,57 1 Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

JULIUS MALTBY, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 WATERBURY BUCKLE 00., 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

BUCKLE.

Application filed July 20, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, JULIUS MALTBY a citizen of the United States, residing at Vi atolbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Coimecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buckles; and 1 do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in-

Figure 1 a plan view ol' a buckle constructed in accordance with my invention, shown as engaged with a strap, and in the closed position.

Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 a side view partly in section, showing the parts in the open position.

ig. 4 a plan view of the baclcplate, dotached.

Fig. 5 a plan view of the front-plate detached.

Fig. 6 a perspective view of the lever, detached.

This invention relates to an improvement in buckles, and while particularly adapted for use in connection with buckles for heavy straps such as trunk straps, is equally applicable for various other purposes, the obect of the invention being to provide a buckle by which the tension on the strap is increased as the buckle is brought to the closed position, and to provide means by which the free end of the strap co-acts with parts to hold the buckle locked in the closed position; and the invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a back-plate 7 formed with upturned sides 8 and 9, and near its forward end with a transverse slot 10 forming a strap-attaching bar 11. The sides 8 and 9 are formed with clearance notches l2 and 18 for the purpose which will hereinafter appear. In connection with the back-plate 7 I employ a frontplate 14 having downwardly turned sides 15 and 16 the rear ends of which are pivotally connected with the rear end of the sides of they back-plate 7. The main portion of the front-plate 14 is cut away formin a large clearance-opening 17, and a tuck ar Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Serial No. 181,701.

18. livotally mounted between the sidebars 15 and 16 of the front-plate is a lever 19 formed with a gripping-edge 20 adapted to co-act with a hearing 21 formed by folding a strip of metal through a transverse slot 22 formed near the rear end of tho front-plate i l. The lixed end 22. of the strap is passed through the slot 10 in the baclcplate, and the exlrclnc end 2 1- of the strap is riveted to the strap so as to form a loop which incloses a. link 25 which is adapied to swing over the forward end of the innit-plate, when in its closed position, the top bar 26 entering notches in the sides of the front-plate so as to interlock the front-plate with the back-plate. lVhcn the free end of the strap is to be engaged the front-plate will be raised and the free end 28 of the strap passed between the gripping edge 20 of the lever 19 and the bearing 21, and the strap drawn as taut as possible. The lever 19 will then be turned to clamp the strap to the front-plate and the end of the strap will be passed upward through the opening 17. The front-plate 1 1 will then be turned toward the hack-plate and the link 25 passed over the forward end of the frontplatc. The free end of the strap is then passed under the tuck-bar 1S, and when the free end of the strap is so passed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the frontplate is locked to the back-plate and the parts cannot be separated without withdrawing the strap from the tuck-bar 18. The notches 12 and 13 in the sides 8 and 9 of the back-plate give clearance for the ends of the lever 19 to permit the frontplate to be turned toward the back-plate. When the parts are in the closed position the lever 19 is also looked in the closed position, and thus the strap is firmly clamped to the outer late. In turning the front lever downward into the closed position after the free end of the strap has been engaged with it, additional tension is placed upon the strap; and this is more easily accomplished owin to the length of the front-plate which provides long leverage for imposing this additional strain upon the strap.

I claim 1. In a buckle, the combination with a back-plate formed with sides and at its forward end with a strap-attaching bar, of a front-plate having sides the rear ends of which are pivotally connected with the rear ends of the sides of the back-plate, said front-plate formed with a clearance opening and with a tuck-bar at its forward end, a lever pivotally connected between the sides of the front-plate and c0-acting with the front-plate to lock a strap between them, a strap looped over the strap-attaching bar of the bottom-plate, and a link held by the loop in the strap and extending over the forward end of the front-plate.

2. A buckle comprising a back-plate formed with sides, a front-plate having sides the rear ends of which are pivotally connected with the rear ends of the sides of the back-plate, a lever pivotally mounted between the sides of the front-plate and provided with a gripping-edge co-acting with the front-plate, and a link connected with the back-plate and adapted to extend over the forward end of the front-plate.

3. A buckle comprising a back-plate Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the formed with sides, a front-plate having Sides the rear ends of which are pivotally connected with the rear ends of the sides of the back-plate, a lever pivotally mounted between the sides of the front-plate and provided with a gripping-edge co-aetin with the front-plate, said front-plate formed near its forward end with a clearance opening, the upper edges of the sides of the opening in the front-plate formed with notches, and a link connected with the baek-plate and adapted to extend over the forward end of the front-plate and into'said notches.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JULIUS MALTBY.

Witnesses:

RUSSELL A. Moons, ALTA L. CODDINGTON.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

